Mysterious Things
by pinkbutterfly9000
Summary: Chapter 14 is up This is my first fic ever so be nice! If you haven't seen your only love in three years wouldn't you go a little crazy?
1. Chapter 1

Mysterious Things 

Years pass like minutes, before you know it, they're gone. With years also go many emotions, and events. Events like the one I shall tell you.

Love is a mysterious thing. You could have it one minute, then its gone. But for many, love is achieved then it remains. Love is truely magical, nothing else is like it, and nothing could replace it. Love is when you're much more than friends, and you want to spend every passing moment with them, every passing minute, every passing year and all after that

Mai stood there in her favorite place in the world, the bar. That was pretty pathetic when she thought about it. It wasn't like she got space or time to think there. It was dark and gloomy in there. It was especially loud in the bar. The only real reason she liked it was because to her, it was the only place she had fun. Where she laughed. But it wasn't the right fun when she thought about it. Every guy that passed by her either gave her a stupid look or tried to hit on her. She hated it, she couldn't stand it, to tell the truth, but she was used to it. It had happened almost all her life.

She had had only one love. When she looked back on it, almostthree years later now, she wasn't sure if it was love. If she was sure of whatever feelings Joey Wheeler had for her, she would have confronted him. Maybe looked into a relationship, but she wouldn't have confronted him because she was in denial, stupid denial. Mai felt weak.

Mai looked on her wrist to check the time, 11:30 pm. She got there at 11:00! She had been sitting there thinking about Joey for the past 30 minutes! Now she really felt like an idiot. This wasn't her. She wasn't supposed worry or think about inmature guys that probably didn't give a crap about her anyway. Which samed odd to her. He seemed to care last time she saw him, a lot.

When Mai finally came back to her sences she realized she late to meet a friend. Someone she had not seen for a long time, Tea Gardner. When Mai first met Tea, she hated her. She was all about friendship speaches and believing in eachother. Mai was surprised when she realized how excited she was to see her after all this time. They were really good friends when they last saw eachother. Tea thought Mai was less mean and snobish and Mai thought that Tea had finally grown up a little.

Mai jumped in her car and sped out of the bar's parking lot to the airport. She enjoyed the breeze on her face. It made her feel free. The freedom she never had. As her long blonde hair flew behind her on the highway, her mind, yet again, drifted off to Joey. "I wonder if Tea knows where he is," Mai pondered to herself. She shook her head. She was not going to ask Tea about Joey. "She probably doesn't know where he is either, She probably doesn't care either." She didn't care if she was in denial anymore.

Mai was in such deep thought she almost missed the airport. She was pretty sure she cut someone off in her attempt to get to the airport on the exit. This airport and all the airports she had ever been in reminded her of her traveling parents. They didn't love her, she was pretty sure When she got inside, she went to see if Tea's plane was going to be on time. It was. And it was supposed to come in any minute. Mai looked at her wrist again, 12:00. Mai thought back to the last time she talked to Tea, which was another tormenet after they defeated Dartz. Tea had said that she was going to America to try and get a dancing career. All Mai had heard from her after that was a message on her answering machine saying that she was coming back in town and wanted to see Mai. How Tea got her phone number she'd never know.

She was awaken from her thought by Tea's cheerful voice. "Hey, Mai!" Mai turned. There was Tea, but she was different. Her hair was longer and she had finally found some good looking clothes to put on. Tea ran up to Mai and hugged her. "Tea!," Mai exclaimed. "You look so different!" "You don't like it, do you?," Tea sighed as she let go of Mai. "Of course not! I love it!," "I was so worried you won't like it," "Tea, I'm not that mean. You look great! Lunch?" "O my God, Yes! Airplane food sucks!" Tea exclaimed. "Plus it'll give us time to catch up," Mai added.

When they finally got to a resturant they agreed on, and sat down. Started talking like she'd never stop. "The only thing I was thinking about the way here was what I was going to tell you about Joey!" Tea squealed. Mai wasn't going to ask, but now she didn't have to. "The last time I talked to him was last Monday. "I told him I was going to Japan and he asked me if thats where you lived." Tea explained. "Thats it?!" Mai asked. What the hell did she just say that for? Now it sounded like she was desprite! And for Joey!?

"Well that was it for then but I told him to come to Japan when he could." Mai's heart skipped a beat. She realized that she wanted to see him. She must have loved him. Thats not possible, was it?-- "Mai!?" Tea must have noticed her spacing out. "Are you ok?" "I'm fine, forget I did anything." Mai had to get a hold of her self. Joey wasn't worth the trouble. But........she had to see him again and now she would.

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Ok thats it for now. I really need some ideas for chapter two, I have almost nothing. I also need some nice reviews some I can have some confidence. I'm bad at everything TT. OH well Merry Christmas :D


	2. Chapter 2

Thankyou Speedy-Anime-Angel for my confidence. And my only review on the first chapter. I owe it to you! ;D 

I'm sorry forgot to mention the ages, so here they are

Mai: 25

Serenity: 17

Joey(and everyone else): 22 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2

Joey Wheeler sat in his apertment, his chocolate eyes fixated on the TV. He was board out of his mind, as usual. His sister, Serenity, was out with either Tristan, his best friend,or Duke Devlin. It was hard to keep track. Joey really didn't think anyone was good enough for his sister. But he allowed it as long as Serenity was happy.

He shifted for the first time in what seemed like hours and looked around his crappy apartment. It was so dirty it was almost unlivable, but Serenity did what she could to keep it clean. They couldn't afford much. Joey had a poor paying job so they couldn't have the best.

About four years ago Joey lived with his father, who was abusive. Besides going to bed every night aching and stinging all over, he couldn't stand the separation between himself and Serenity. When he was old enough he and his sister gathered some money and bought a place of their own. 'When I raise some more money I'll make this old shack better.......... for Serenity's sake.' Joey thought to himself. 'I didn't run away from my dad just to live here.'

This made Joey a little frustrated at himself. He got up and went to the kichen, looking for soming to eat. (Needless to say they didn't have enough food for snacks). Just then Serenity threw open the front door. "Hey, Joey," she said in her friendliest voise. As she closed the door behind her, she asked him "I thought you were going to do something with Yugi today." "Na, I think he's doing something with Tea," Joey replied, absent-mindedly. Serenity signed. "I told you, Joey, she's in Japan!" Joey had to think for a moment. "Oh yea, I remember now, she left yesterday, right?" Serenity rolled her eyes. She swore, most of the stuff she said to her older brother went in one ear and out the other. "Yes, Joseph, that's correct," she answered an annoyedvoice. But she couldn't stay mad at him.  
"Oh yea," Serenity added. "Tea wanted me to tell you that she wants us to come down there too." "When?" Joey asked perplexed. "Oh, next week," Serenity replied as she went into the other room to change. "Sis,.. "Joey said in a quieter voise, "...I want to go, but we don't have enough money for one of us!" Serenity popped her head out of the side of the wall, hiding the rest of her body. "I know, Joey," she answered. "...but Tea isn't stupid. She already gave me the tickets for both of us, round trip."

"Where did she get that kind of money?"

"Uh.....Joey, her dancing career!? "

"Oh yea."

Serenity went back into her room to finish changing. Joey thought about it. Going back to Japan where he used to live would be fun. Most of the memories would nice to reminise about. Others (like the ones with his father), not so good. However, thats where heused to go toschool,where hement Yugi, and where all those tournaments that were held. He had to admit he missed it.

Then something popped into his mind.......... thats where he met Mai. And left her.

She was the most gorgeous women he had ever met. Her blonde hair and violet eyes were mesmerizing, and beautiful. She was also the onlywoman he had ever loved, (except for his mother and Serenity, of course). He would never have left if he had the choice, but when he did, he needed to badly. Everything he was going through was too much for him and he wasn't thinking about Mai twenty-four-seven. (but probably 19-5). He hadn't thought about her much after he moved. She gone.

Just then Serenity came out of her room and sat down causally on the couch. "Hey Serenity?" Joey questioned

"Yeah?" Serenity anwsered as she threw her head around to look at her brother

"Isn't that where Mai lives now?"  
Serenity was now excited about the conversation. She threw her legs under herself and turned aroundso her whole body was facing her brother. She loved it when ever Joey talked about Mai. She knew Mai liked Joey just as much as he liked her. (which was very much). Serenity thought they were so cute as a couple and wanted them to get together more than anything, she knew it would make Joey happy.

"Yes," she replied a little mischievously

Joey reconized that face. "What?"

Serenity then feltcompassion for her brother. He was trying to hide his love. (Even though she knew everything about it.)

"Oh Joey. I know how you feel, and I some good news. I talk to Tea a lot. She told me that she was going to meet Mai there and stay at a motel near her apartment!" Serenity nearly squealed the last words.

Joey thought about this for a while. It was the best news he had recived in a long time! A grin crept onto his face. Mai. Seeing Mai again was something he had dreamed of doing for a long time. Now getting the opportunity, not only was in something he wanted to do, now, it was something he felt he had to do.

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it took kinda long for me to get this chapter down and put it in fanfiction. (long story) Anyways i hoped you liked it and i hope you leave me a nice reveiw AND I NEED SUGESTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!havea good day!:D


	3. Chapter 3

If you found misspellings and grammar mistakes in my last two chapters, I apologize. I suck at grammar and spelling. In fact I was in the spelling bee and I misspelled descend on the first round. However I'm not as bad as my best friend, Britteny…(I'll be quiet now, she's probably reading this.) I just kidding!!! I love you Britteny!!!!

When Mai got home she was exhausted. She and Tea spent the whole night out on the town. She went to her dresser and picked up a navy blue hair band to tie her hair up with. She unzipped her boots and threw them in the corner, all through this time she was thinking. Tea had said that Joey was coming back to where she met him. She again wondered what it was that made her attracted to him.

She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't his modesty or his style of eating (that's something no one could love). She decided that it was his kindness that had won her over. His looks boosted his numbers, just a little bit, he knew when to be serious and he would do anything to save her. Then Mai knew why she liked him so much. She didn't know "what," exactly it was, but she could feel it. She went to sleep happy that night. She couldn't remember that last time she fell asleep with a grin on her face.

"Joey, you haven't been out of this place for days! You got to go out!" Serenity had been nagging at her brother all day. "Joey, please. Tristan's goin' be there and I'm sure you can find something to do at the mall! Ever since Tea sent tickets to them for a trip to Toyo, Joey couldn't get over the fact that he would see Mai again. (Not so shocked that he sat around all day thinking about it, mind you, he just thought about it more than one would)

"All right I'll go!" Joey replied as his sister nearly yanked him off the couch.

"I know you'll have fun Serenity reassured him.

When they got to the food court in the mall they immediately spotted Tristan. In fact, he was almost impossible to see running up to Serenity to greet her.  
"Serenity, it's so good to see…" Tristan stopped dead sentence when he saw Joey.  
It's not like he wasn't happy to see his best friend there. Only he couldn't try anything on Serenity today as long as her older brother was there. "Hey, Joe!" Tristan said half-heartedly "Hello, Tristan." Joey answered back with a look on his face that said it all. Don't you dare!!

Serenity looked at the boys glaring at each other. Tristan looking a little afraid and Joey about ready to stab him.

"Ok… well… where do you guys what to eat?" Serenity squeaked trying to break the ice. This got the boys attention and much to Serenity's misfortune left them arguing for 15 minutes where to eat. When they finally decided, Serenity couldn't wait to share her good news with Tristan.

"OH guess what?" Serenity gasped on of nowhere. "MMM… oh what?" Tristan answered with his mouth full of food.

"Joey and I are going back to Toyo next week!" Inside Tristan was kind of disappointed. If Serenity and Joey were going to Toyo they weren't going to be there for a short time. But he wanted Serenity to be happy (which she was he just didn't want to damper it). "That's awesome, Serenity!" Tristan said swallowing his food. "I have to say I'm a bit jealous!" 

The next day was a Saturday that was Mai's day for shopping. (For food). She had tied her hair up and was walking out the door, when she heard a scream of a woman. Mai couldn't figure out what it was or where it was coming from. She didn't hear anything strange after that so she decided continue on.

Mai lived so close to the market it seemed pointless to drive, so she walked. As she pasted an alley she saw out of the corner of her eye a man forcing himself on a defenseless woman.  
Mai couldn't just stand there and watch, nor could she simply walk away. She had to do something.

"HEY, LET GO OF HER, YOU PIG!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hey you're not bad looking either. We could use you too," sneered an evil voice from the darkness.

And before she could run Mai felt four cold hands grab her arms.

"NO, LET ME GOO"

WELL I finally found I conflict. Yay for me and not yay for Mai

Mai: Grrrrrrrrr 


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you, Juju17 for the review, I'm glad you liked it!

I was rereading chapter three and I realized that the whole time I was spelling Tokyo wrong. I was spelling it Toyo. Told you I suck at spelling.

Chapter 4

All she could remember after that was being retrained and being hit in the head, hard.

When Mai woke up she was in a dark place like cellar. The floor was cold like the hands of the men who had seized her. Mai was without a jacket or sweater so she found herself shivering. She was scared. Suddenly, the sound of boot heels was heard down the hall. The footsteps were coming toward the stall.

Mai got to her feet in a quick motion. The owner of those boots stopped in front of Mai's cell. He was a burly man with a huge body and a face hard and ugly.

"I'm glad you're finally up," said the dark man, with a deep voice.

Mai was not in the mood to be casual about something like this.

"Why the hell am I here!" she yelled.

"Well we already took all your money from your purse," the man said as he lit up a cigarette. Mai suddenly realized that her purse was missing. This made her even angrier.

"Fine! Now let me go!" Mai said louder than before.

"Why? You'd probably just go tell the police, we can't have that, now can we?" he replied taking a puff of his cigarette.

"So you intend on keeping me here?" Mai asked.

"No, we'll probably kill you first."

Mai had been in tough situations before. This one scared her almost as much as the one in "Battle City." But then Joey was there to save her. Now he was almost a whole country away and couldn't help her. She was feeling helpless, defenseless and frightened. A few years ago she was Miss Don't Let Any One Help You. And she didn't need or trust anyone but herself.

But she did need help. Mai accepted it now. She was too scared to deny it anymore.

"Heh, I almost feel sorry for you now," the man said.

He began to laugh and turned to leave.

"Wait don't leave me here! Please! Let me out!" Mai screamed after him.

But he didn't come back. No one did. She was alone.

Mai rested her head on the bars imprisoning her. When she felt the first teardrop fall from her eye she knew she weak but she didn't care anymore. Soon it would be all over and it wouldn't matter anyway.

Serenity and her brother spent the next day packing for Tokyo. Joey didn't know why Serenity took so long to pack all her things. In Joey's case, all he needed was a hairbrush, a toothbrush and two pairs of clothes. But Serenity and every other girl he knew insisted on packing twenty pairs of clothes and every accessory in their home.

"Sis! Hurry up! I have waiting for you for like thirty minutes," Joey yelled.

"But I'm not ready! I still have to pack all my makeup!" Serenity compiled.

"WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR OUR FLIGHT!"

"No we're not," Serenity said quite relaxed as she immerged from her dressing room.

"It's only 9:00. Our flight leaves 11:00," she added.

"Oh…really…well then a can finish watching TV." Joey said as he settled back into the couch.

"Oh Joey, I wanted to take you out to breakfast," Serenity said.

"Serenity, we can get breakfast at the airport. There are millions of mini restaurants there." Joey wined.

"Do I really have to drag you everywhere?"

Just then the phone rang.

"Oh I'll get that since you're glued to the couch," Serenity said sarcastically.

As she picked up the phone and began talking her face started losing all its color. The only thing she said was "Oh my God" and "Ok, let me know if you find out anything more."

She hung up the phone, speechless.

"What happened? Who was that?" Joey asked, a little concerned.

"That was Tea. She said that she called Mai's home phone, and cell phone, which she didn't answer, and she can't find her anywhere."

"She said she's highly concerned because this has never happened before and something was scaring her about Mai missing."


	5. Chapter 5

Maybe I should be doing my homework, because I have a lot. But if I did my homework, you wouldn't be able to read this chapter.

Chapter 5

Joey froze at the sound of her words. A great worry began to pass him. Mai was in

Trouble he could feel it.

"She didn't say anything else did she!" Joey asked his sister with great concern.

"No, Joey, but I'm sure she's fine," Serenity told her brother with reassurance.

"What if she's not? What if she's in trouble! We don't know!" Joey said more worried than before.

"Joey it's ok, we'll figure this out," Serenity didn't want her brother to worry, but she was just as scared as he was. "Joey, the sooner we get to Tokyo, the sooner we can help Tea look for Mai."

Joey was too upset to talk that much after the news and for the first time Serenity felt tension between them.

As she drove along the road to a near by restaurant she found she couldn't stand the silence between them so she turned on the radio.

Joey, who was sitting on the passenger side, kept hoping and praying that Mai was ok.

Mai was still sitting in that God forsaken cell as the hours went by. Then, a new anxiety seized her; they were probably going to rape her or torture her at the least. She couldn't take that risk. She had to get out of there.

Suddenly Mai noticed a window with bars over it, high above her head.

If she could get to it, she could see if she was close to her apartment or not. She had no ideas how to get that high up though.

She then heard those mysterious footsteps come her way again. The ones that had frightened her the first time she heard them, the same ones who belonged to that evil man. Once again he stopped at her cell with his cigarette in hand.

"What do want with me?" Mai growled.

"I have to make sure you're behaving yourself," the man said casually.

"Why don't you just tell me why you're keeping me here since you're going to kill me anyway?" Mai asked through gritted teeth.

"Why, you don't have any manners at all. Fine then I will tell you what's going on," the man replied.

"My name is Hunter, and my team and I have been stealing people's money and valuables for about a year now, but we've caught on. Unlike some stupid criminals, we don't let our victims go. We keep them or kill them or for our own entertainment sometimes we torture them to their death.

"You're really messed up," Mai said quietly

"Yes, we like to think so," Hunter sneered.

Mai was trapped. There was nothing that she could do. She was cold and hungry. She hadn't eaten since last night.

"You do realize that if you intend on keeping me here for torture you have to feed me."

"Fine, you'll get your food but you haven't earned it yet," said Hunter as he pulled out a knife.

Mai then realized she was going to die here. She was in over her head and there was no one to help her.

Joey and Serenity ate their breakfast rather solemnly and quietly and then they left for the airport.

When they were in the building Serenity decided that she couldn't take the silence any longer.

"Joey, it's all right! We don't even know if she's in any trouble at all," Serenity said becoming tired of Joey's silent state.

"Serenity, I know we have no idea what Mai got herself into, and I know she can take care of herself, but Mai is important to me and she can't be in any danger so I can't take the risk that she is.

Serenity couldn't argue with that. She knew Joey was too worried to think about anything else.

"It's all right Joey. I didn't mean to trouble you, I just wanted you to be my brother again and talk to me," Serenity said upset now that she had accused her brother of concern for a loved one.

I like this chapter. I feel that I had to emphasize the importance of the situation at hand by having it spread to the relationship of Joey and Serenity who are inseparable siblings.

There, I used BIG WORDS I'm so happy! And I'm proud! I am so damn proud of it!

Please review! I feel unloved without your support or words of wisdom. Am I unloved?

(Brittney M. Hudson, if I don't get a review from you I'm going to pound you! Have a good day!)


	6. Chapter 6

I have to tell all of you guys reading this; I don't like to put up my stories if no one reviews. Seriously, if no one reviews I feel like I'm putting these chapters up for no reason. So even if you have nothing to say or you thought the chapter was bad just review and let me know someone's reading my work. I stopped at chapter 4 because I thought no one was reading it. Then someone reviewed me and I kept going because she said it was good. I think she knows who she is and I'm expecting another review from her.

I'm sad without reviews!

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Chapter 6

If Mai was not so paralyzed by the sight of the knife she could have run out the cell door when Hunter opened it to come in. She had her eyes pinned on the knife andcouldn't stop thinkingof whathe was going to do with it.

"W-What are you going to do with that knife?" Mai asked in a trembling voice.

"Give me your wrist!" Hunter demanded.

"N-No! Tell me what you're going to do with my wrist!" Mai asked with her eyes following the knife.

In a moment Mai had been pushed into the corner of the wall with immense strength and gravity bringing her to the ground. The stone was hard and of course seemed harder when she fell on it.

Before she could get back up, Hunter was on the ground next to her holding her down.

"You are a very pretty girl, young lady, but you're just like everyone else. And if you die here tell me who would care?" Hunter asked her with pure hatred in his eyes.

Mai tried to think of all the people in her life who had loved her. She tried, but she was afraid. She was afraid that if she didn't answer quick enough, Hunter would kill her without hesitation.

She could think of no one.

"You mean a pretty girl such as yourself doesn't even have as much as a boyfriend?What a waste."

Mai had little strength at this point, but she did have enough to speak.

"I never said I didn't have friends," Mai said, struggling with every word.

"Who ever they are, think of them asI tear your skin!"

Mai thought of all the people she knew. It was harder than she thought it would be. She could only think of one person…Joey. She tried to think of more friends of hers or even friends of his but no one else appeared in her mind.

She realized that if she died he would be devastated. She didn't want him to mourn over her. So she wasn't going to die here or at least right now.

Hunter had cut her twice by now and the pain was overwhelming. With one of his arms he held both her down and her arm still. With the other he held the knife.

Mai was bleeding but that angered her. It no longer frightened her.

She began to feel the life back in her leg and used that to her advantage. Next to Mai and her leg Hunter was kneeling and his legs were visible. Mai twisted her foot around and with the heel of her shoe she stabbed Hunter in his leg.

He yelled loudly in pain. He was bleeding

"You bitch!"

In his anger he heldthe knife above her preparing to kill her right there, but Mai won't allow that either. At this point Hunter had come up from his kneeling position and was now kneeling on all fours. Mai twisted her leg other leg around even fartherand kicked him in the side. Hunter fell over sideways. The knife he was holding, he dropped and it fell about two inches away from Mai's face.

With the time she had Mai got up and was now standing over him. Suddenly she remembered the knife he had dropped and turned around to grab it. The corners of the chamber were so dim that she had to feel around for a small moment to find the knife. When she had found it and turned around to face Hunter, he had gotten up, and as she watched, he pulled out a gun from under his coat.

"I want you to know that I will not hesitate to shoot if that's what it comes to!"

The blood from her arm was running and beginning to make her hand itch, but she dare not move.

If she didn't move they could be standing like this for a long time. However if she did move Hunter would surely shoot.

She had to take her chances.

In the blink of an eye she threw the knife at Hunter. But Mai missed her target, which was his chest and struck his lower side. That wouldn't kill him.

The knife in his side made Hunter pause but it didn't stop him from shooting which is what he did and he shot her right in her shoulder.

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Their flight had been very long but Joey and Serenity had managed to keep mild a conversation throughout most of the trip. Joey felt stupid for practically ignoring his sister after they heard about the chilling news of Mai's disappearance. Joey was still as worried as he could be, but he no longer took it out on his sister.

"So when is Tea picking us up?" Joey asked as he looked around.

"Well, she should be here already, our plane came in late. Joey, stop looking, she's going to pick us up in the baggage claim."

"Ah ha" Joey said clearly out smarted.

Joey and Serenity walked awhile through the airport until they finally reached the baggage claim area. Unfortunately for them the area was nearly packed solid.

"Oh my God, we're never going to getmy things," Serenity said quietly as if she were about to cry.

"Oh geez, Serenity all you have to do is push people out of the way," Joey said as he attempted to push through the crowds.

Serenity, worried that the many people would swallow her brother, pulled him back by the arm.

"Joey if you go in there I may never see you again!" Serenity said franticly.

"Serenity, if you stay in one spot I'll push through the people, get our luggage, and then knock over anyone who gets in my way of coming back." Joey explained.

"Good God, Joey!"

"You just wait here and see…." Joey finished calmly.

"NO! Lets just wait for the crowds to clear out."

"Fine."

They sat on a near by bench and not long after they did Serenity felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Welcome back you two!" Tea said smiling.

"Tea! Oh it's been too long!" Serenity exclaimed as she jumped up and hugged her friend. After Serenity, Joey followed suit.

"It's good to see you again, Tea," Joey said embracing an old friend.

Tea smiled, however soon it faded into a rather sad face.

"I'm glad you guys are here, now you can help me look for Mai."

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Well I had to make Mai the tough girl she really is and smart too. She kicks butt. And this is not a tragedy! Mai will not die!

Please review me, good or bad!"


	7. Chapter 7

Hello! Welcome Back. This is chapter 7 (oh my gosh I have a 7th chapter!) I hope you like it and I hope you review. I don't care if you thought it sucked, just review me and tell what I should have changed.

Thank you, Mandybelle and Kittyge for the new reviews!

(I also would like to thank, Dukeylover24, Juju17, and Speedy-anime-angel for your past reviews). You all were very kind to give me such pleasant reviews.

Mandybelle: I couldn't agree more about the high heels!

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Chapter 7

(The fight Mai and Hunter had was in the night time so a day had passed since then.)

The shot had knocked Mai out. When she woke up her shoulder was bleeding badly. The pain in arm and now in her shoulder was enough to make her want to be dead. She felt so alone. The blood kept flowing and Mai had to do something.

There weren't any clothes of any kind around and Mai needed something to help the bleeding.

Then she realized the only way to recover was to use the only cloth she had, which was the dress.

"I just had to wear this nice dress yesterday, didn't I?"

"Why did I have to wear something expensive?" Mai was very upset that she had to rip something she spent so much money on. Her nice dress ruined by one action. Mai knew it was for her shoulder to stop bleeding, but it was her dress! She even remembered saying the day she saw it; "This dress is to die for!"

Well that certainly wasn't true.

Once she had ripped a piece from her dress large enough to cover her wound she held it on her should. She decided that she didn't want to hold this piece of dress up to her shoulder forever so she tied it around her shoulder and around her under arm. There was still a large bloodstain but at least the bleeding would stop soon.

After about an hour of nursing her shoulder Mai heard footsteps down to her cell again. She assumed that of course it would be Hunter. However as the footsteps came to her cell the face was not that of Hunter but a different man with the same qualities.

Mai waited for him to say something. For a moment he just stared at her with a dirty look. Then finally he spoke.

"Do you have any idea what you did to our boss?" the man questioned.

"Yes actually, I believe I stabbed him," Mai said comfortably.

"THAT ISN'T FUNNY!" the man bellowed. "I'll teach you respect!"

"I think you know what happened to the last guy who attempted to do that."

The man didn't know what to say to that. The last guy (Hunter) was stabbed. And everyone there knows that Hunter was the biggest cheese. Mai had beaten the biggest cheese.

"Stand up you bitch!"

Mai attempted to stand but as she started to put her weight on one of her legs, a piercing pain in that leg stopped her. Mai determined that the fall she had last night when she was shot had injured her leg. At any rate, she couldn't stand on it.

"I can't stand you idiot. I must have sprained my ankle and then slept on it, making it worse."

"Well I guess that's what you get isn't it?"

Mai didn't really have a choice so she put all her weight on her stronger leg and rose to meet the man. Now that she saw his face a little more clearly she could tell that he defiantly was not as evil looking as Hunter. His hair was a dark, dark brown, almost black. But she couldn't tell the color of his eyes because of a lack of light. The most interesting thing about him was that he looked like he wanted to be part of this crazy gang and it looked like he tried to be as well, but he didn't belong in it. He didn't look like a kidnapper. He looked like a regular person trying to be a kidnapper.

Kind of a waste of a perfectly fine person, Mai thought to herself.

"If you try anything tricky I'll be ready!" the man warned.

"Like I'd really try something "tricky" with my wounded leg and shoulder," Mai responded smartly.

Mai could tell the man was not sure what to make of Mai or what to do with her, either.

"Listen lady, I have a gun and I can finish the job that Hunter started."

"Yeah… but then you'd loose your prettiest captive," Mai said starting to enjoy making this man puzzled at what to say to her next.

"Don't test me," he said, but Mai knew that he'd never do it. She was far to good looking for him to hurt her.

"Fine," Mai said tossing her head in the slightest way, "but I want you to know that I will get out of here soon enough."

"We'll see about that."

As he walked off Mai smiled to her. To see someone who wasn't that tough trying to act really tough was actually quite funny and the most amusing thing that she had seen since she had gotten there.

* * *

Tea gave Joey and Serenity a ride to her apartment so they could drop-off their things. Both Joey and Serenity were astonished at how beautiful Tea's apartment was. The first floor, which was mainly just a room for the stairs, had chocolate brown table below an oval mirror. The table was perfectly placed and so slim that it barely took up any room. It was just enough to put a few small items on.

The stairs that twisted to the second floor were the same kind of wood as the small table. The second floor was simply beautiful.

The top of the stairs was in the middle of the kitchen area and the living room area. The living room had a yellowish theme to it. On either side of the walls were two matching couches. They were yellow with light blue strips. There was a coffee table in between them and smaller tables off to their sides. Farther into the living room was a balcony that stared over the small town of buildings. The doorway to the balcony was lined with light curtains that ruffled gently in the breeze.

On the balcony were two white wicker chairs and a small white table.

On the other side of the living room was the kitchen, which over looked the living room. There was a refrigerator in the corner and next to that was the microwave and then the oven. Beside the oven was a pantry. There was another counter across from the first one, which held the dishwasher, the sink, and more cabinets. Beside the kitchen area was a small table for eating.

Farther down the hall, were a guest room and Tea's room of which the bathroom was right next-door.

The kitchen was small and basic and so was the bathroom.

"Tea this place is so pretty and so cozy, too!" Serenity exclaimed.

"And it was so cheaper than it looks! I had to have it when I saw it!"

"Ok, Joey, you will be sleeping in the living room and Serenity you are going to sleep on the floor in my room or if you want, you can sleep in the bed with me," Tea explained.

"How come guys never get that offer?" Joey mumbled to himself.

Serenity, who had heard his smug remark, answered him.

"Because you _are_ guy. That's how it works."

Tea laughed lightly. Serenity was such a dear friend to her and always made her feel happy.

"Okay, you guys, Joey, you can put your suitcases in the living room and, Serenity, you can put your suitcases in my room," Tea said as she pointed them to where she was indicating.

After they did as they were told they met back in the middle of the apartment.

"Okay, I was thinking now we could go to Mai's apartment and look for some things that might help us find out where she could be," Tea implied.

"Yeah, let's go," Joey, said as his face again became hard with determination.

* * *

Mai didn't know what time it was but the sun was starting to set and it wasn't daylight savings time. Basically it could be any time in the evening.

She sighed. Mai was extremely bored. Her shoulder and her ankle still ached, although she had nursed them the best she could. As she looked at her ankle closely she saw that it was, in the slightest way, beginning to swell.

"Perfect! I got shot in the shoulder, passed out, and now my ankle is getting fat!"

Mai was beginning to get more fed up than miserable. She knew that it wasn't really getting that fat but Mai wasn't feeling very positive.

Mai's mind began to wander to that stupid boy who couldn't shoot her for his life. As she thought about him more she began to realize that that boy was a lot like Joey.

This little 'tough guy' wasn't nearly as attractive as Joey but-

Oh my God! I just called Joey attractive, Mai thought astonished at her thoughts!

"I have to stop thinking about him and start thinking about where I'm going to get some food. I'm starving.

Just then Mai heard food steps coming down the hall. She would have suspected it was the odd boy or maybe even Hunter, but these footsteps were not casually walking towards her cell, they were most defiantly running in her direction. Mai stood up to see who it was.

It was that boy. The one that threatened to kill her but couldn't do it. He was running. He stopped in front of her cell, but skidded across the stone floor barely able to stop.

"What do you want?" Mai questioned certainly not expecting this.

He could only answer her through pants but he replied, "I need to feed you, you bitch. I'd think that you'd be grateful." He threw Mai a stale piece of bread from his pocket as he said this.

Mai examined the piece of bread with disgust and said, "Ok, number one: you want me to be grateful for this! And number two: Have you seen me! I'm thin enough! This is a little piece of bread, I'm frekin' starving!

Once again he was a loss for words. "…Just eat the stupid bread!"

Mai laughed lightly. "What's your name?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I need something to call you."

"Rick. …Just eat!" and with that he 'stormed out'

Mai laughed again after he left. "What a moron."

* * *

I am so sorry that it took so long to finish this chapter. My computer is really messed up. It must hate me. Anyway I hope you aren't so mad at me that you won't leave me a nice review? 


	8. Chapter 8

Hi Friends! This is Chapter 8. I hope this chapter won't really be boring. Chapter 7 took so long I felt like it was boring. Perhaps this chapter will be better, that is for you to decide!

Okay in this chapter Mai is goin be thinking more than usual so her thoughts will be in _italic._

Chapter 8

* * *

Tea drove Joey and Serenity to Mai's place. Joey had become again silent with thought as they turned down the street where Mai lived.

"This is it," Tea said neither happy nor upset.

To be honest Tea didn't know what to make of the whole disappearance of one of her friends. Mai never got in to trouble and if she did she always took care of herself. She was sure it was another case where Mai could get out of trouble herself. But Tea didn't want to ignore Mai if she needed her help.

The whole thing confused Tea and she wasn't sure what to do.

Mai's apartment didn't look broken into from the outside and her car was still in front of the building. They decided they wouldn't find much more out here so they went inside.

Mai lived on the third floor. As they climbed the beautiful stairway, both Serenity and Joey wondered what Mai's home would look like. Serenity decided that it would deeply describe her. Joey, (being a man) decided it would smell like her. He had no idea what it would look like.

Tea had a key to Mai's apartment because Mai was out a lot and she had told Tea that her home was also Tea's home.

The inside of Mai's apartment was clean and it smelled much like perfume, all different kinds. The smell wasn't so strong that it burned the nose of whoever inhaled deeply. But it smelled lightly of perfume, it you feel made you peaceful. As Serenity had suspected Mai's home was very clean. Inside, directly to the left there was a cute little living room with two couches and a TV. The couches were velvet purple and the carpet underneath was fuzzy and light green. Matching blankets were draped over the couches.

Down a small hall was a larger room recognized as the kitchen and a dinning area. This large room led to what looked like the door to one of the rooms, or maybe the only one.

Behind the kitchen area was another sitting room and beyond that was a balcony.

"Oh these apartments are gorgeous," Serenity exclaimed. "Joey we need to move here."

Joey gave his sister a frightened look.

"Okay you guys just look around for something wrong or out of place," Tea told them.

"What do you mean look for something that's out of place! Everything's perfect!" Joey said looking area at the spotless apartment.

"Joey! Just look!"

They all searched around the apartment but found nothing that looked suspicious or out of place.

"I told you this place was spotless," Joey said to Tea.

"Well all I found in her room was a pair of boots thrown carelessly in the corner, not put away," Serenity reported holding the purple boots up at eye level.

Joey and Tea took one look at them and decided to discard them as nothing of consequence. But then something struck Tea and commanded her to turn back and look at the boots a second time. Then she realized; Mai was wearing those boots the night they went out.

"Wait Mai was wearing those two nights ago while she was with me," Tea said.

"But you knew she was missing for two days already didn't you?" Serenity questioned.

"Yeah but this means that Mai came home and went to bed right after, other wise she would have put the boots away," Tea said finally seeing the light.

"Wow I wouldn't have been able to put that together for my life," Joey said surprised at Tea's intelligence.

"You just have to really know Mai, but I don't need to tell _you _that," Tea said.

Joey got what Tea was trying to get at, and personally he didn't think his relationship was any of her business.

"Well since we found no forced entry I guess she left the building by herself," Serenity said.

"It's not like it makes this any easier," Joey said upset that no better clues were found.

"It's okay, Joey, we'll find Mai," Serenity said in comforting words.

"I guess now we'll have to look elsewhere," Tea said.

* * *

Mai ate her bread although it wasn't near as much as she needed to fill her stomach. She was still very ravenous. When she finished she was still so hungry that she would have eaten anything more.

Through the small window above her Mai could see that the night had closed in. (A.N: The times are not even. Mai is in the night before Tea, Serenity, and Joey go to her apartment sorry it's confusing).

_I would go to sleep just to pass the time if I had something comfortable to sleep on._

_I could use something to drink too. I wonder how far away those idiots are. Maybe if I yell they'll hear me. _

Mai had been thirsty for a while now and her thirst had been growing. Now she was driven by dehydration and she didn't feel like what she was doing was totally unlike her.

"HEY IDOITS, I NEED SOME WATER! NOW!"

"GET OVER HERE AND GIVE ME SOMETHING TO DRINK!"

The room started to spin and Mai was over come by a huge headache. She sat to try to steady herself from the spinning phenomenon by the room continued to go around and around.

_I know I'm not drunk I've been there and back and it's way worse. I must be dehydrated! I can't remember the last time I had something to drink and they haven't given me anything._

Mai knew she wasn't going to feel any better anytime soon so she curled up in a ball in the corner of her cell and fell asleep. Mai fell asleep so quickly that she didn't notice someone had come to her call and as Rick watched her sleep he felt that she was no longer just a prisoner they kept.

* * *

Ok I'm done that wasn't so hard. If you haven't figured it out, yes, Rick is falling for Mai. I don't understand why Joey is the only one who has a big crush on her so I changed the rules. I know I'm horrible but it makes for a good story.

LOVE!


	9. Chapter 9

Ok well there's not a lot to say besides; I hope you haven't lost interest in my story. Of course you probably wouldn't be reading this is you have so… well just like it. Remember I've never done this before. 'Love'

Chapter 9

* * *

"Well then where do you suggest looking?" Joey asked a little annoyed that nothing useful was found in Mai's apartment.

"I don't know maybe we should ask her neighbors if they saw her two days ago," Tea suggested.

Joey didn't wait for the girls to join him or even bother saying anything. He just took off and banged on the first door they were close to.

"Joey! My God! They're not going to open if you bang down their door!" Serenity scolded.

"Yeah but if I bang down the door they won't have to open it," Joey said with a smug look on his face.

Even how ironic it was nobody was home in the apartment they chose to knock at. They did bang and Joey yelled but the home was vacant.

"Let's try another one," Joey said about to move on to the next door.

"Joey no! We'll have to do this tomorrow. It's getting late!" Serenity said.

"How late could it be?" Joey asked wanting to continue his search.

"It's like six o'clock! It's getting dark. Besides people are eating dinner and Tea and I need to eat too!" Serenity said in her defense.

"For the love of God, Sis! Mai could be anywhere, starving!"

"Joey, please! We have to look tomorrow!"

"Fine."

They left the building and walked down the stairs to sidewalk towards Tea's car.

"We have to ask people about Mai tomorrow, you guys," Joey said still annoyed at their early leaving.

They had to cross the street to get to their car where they parked. However, they didn't see a red sports car speeding through the street. They only saw it in time to run backwards from the street and the car slammed on its brakes.

"HOLY SHIT!" Joey yelled.

"Who was that?" Serenity said about to faint.

The owner of the car stepped out to check the damage. Unfortunately for Joey, Tea, and Serenity the owner of car was Seto Kaiba, the stuck up CEO of Kaiba Co. Unsurprisingly Kaiba didn't care a thing about Joey, Serenity or Tea. He was more concerned about his car.

"Well thank you very much! You idiots you damaged my car! And I'm so glad that I got to run into you of all people," Kaiba said sarcastically ready to explode in anger.

"You were the one who was speeding down a local street!" Tea scolded.

"Look, fighting with you is pointless besides you geeks aren't worth my time."

"Get lost rich-boy," Joey growled.

"Oh if you say so," Kaiba said sarcastically.

"Wait!" Serenity called to him as he started to walk to his car. "Maybe you could help us find Mai," Serenity said, trying to help.

Serenity didn't get that everyone she knew hated Kaiba and never asked for his help. She did know that Kaiba was a very rich and powerful man and she figured he could help them.

"Maybe he can use his satellites or something…" Serenity said hopefully.

"Serenity come on its Kaiba, he hates us," Joey said.

Kaiba sorely hated Joey and all of his retarded friends and would normally never help them for his life but he couldn't help but notice how amazingly attractive Joey's sister was. (He hated calling her Joey's sister but it wasn't like him to call someone didn't like (or really know well) by their first name). She was begging him and it pained him to ignore the beauty begging for his help. He really didn't want to like Serenity and in truth he didn't know how he felt about her. But it felt wrong to ignore her.

"I don't see why I should help you or one of your stupid friends so if you don't mind I'll be on my way," Kaiba said with no respect in his voice and his nose turned up.

"Are you sure you can't help us?" Serenity asked in a quiet voice and her puppy eyes pleading at him.

Kaiba hated that she was looking at him like that. He wanted her to stop. She was bringing out his weakness. She looked so cute, too cute. He didn't want to help. But he couldn't disregard her begging eyes. She wasn't just asking him to help she was telling him to.

"I TOLD YOU I'M BUSY," Kaiba snapped he said looking away from them. Without saying anything else he stormed back into his car, (which apparently wasn't damaged too bad because it ran just fine). Tea, Serenity, and Joey quickly got out of his way and he sped away in his flashy car.

"Son of a bitch…" Joey mumbled after the car had turned on into the next street. "Why would you think, for one minute that Kaiba would actually help us?" Joey questioned his sister.

"Ok, Joey, you're right Kaiba is mean but he really could help us at this point." Serenity was trying to point out that Kaiba was not as evil as they all thought. He just seemed misunderstood. She knew it was crazy but in a way she felt bad for him.

"Serenity, I don't think 'mean' really describes what Kaiba is! In fact there aren't words that describe what a bastard he is!" Joey nearly yelled. He hated even looking at Kaiba.

"You know, I think you guys should take the time to get to know Kaiba before you start criticize him! He doesn't have any friends! If I were him I would start to shut myself out of the world like he does just because it's been so long since he really had anyone he knew and loved," Serenity argued.

"Look I don't care for Kaiba or about him so if he really needs friends he's looking in the wrong direction," Joey retorted.

"Guys, lets just go back to my place and forget this ever happened," Tea said to them both trying to stop the madness.

Serenity didn't want to 'forget this ever happened'. She knew they could use Kaiba's help and he could use theirs or if things remained the way they were just hers. At this point she was the only one who could understand him. Besides she was just as concerned about Mai as Joey was and it bothered her they weren't using a helpful resource.

* * *

Mai woke up a few hours later. She was worse then she was when she fell asleep. She was dizzier. She tried in her best efforts to stand but the pain in her leg she twisted reminded her that she hadn't recovered yet. She looked over in the direction of the cell door.

She saw much to her astonishment a bucket of water. She blinked several times to make sure her eyes hadn't deceived her. After a moment she realized that she couldn't have been wrong. In an ungraceful motion she lifted herself up with the help of one of the walls and limped over to the bucket of water.

It tasted as good as it looked. As she drank she also remembered that being a lady was as important as the water and if anyone was to walk by they would have seen her practically throwing water on her face. So she drank politely even though no one walked by and saw her drinking furiously and even through she needed water more than she ever needed it before.

After many badly needed gulps of water, Mai tried her very best to drag the bucket back to her favorite corner of the cell, that way if anyone wanted to steal it from her they would have to come in and open the door.

She was very exhausted even after she satisfied her thirst. She was in need of some more food and she was losing weight. (Like she really needs too).

"I'm going to die here," she groaned. Still very beat.

Through her own despair she didn't hear the footsteps coming up to her cell. She only realized it when a voice from the door of cell said to her "You will not die here."

* * *

Do you like it? Tell me and tell me what you think! Please?

Love


	10. Chapter 10

Firstly I want to say thank you to you Britteny, even though I didn't chapter 9. I feel bad so don't guilt me. And I'm sorry but when you reviewed I already started Chapter 9 and I couldn't go back and change the beginning so don't 'die'

Secondly, for the rest of my reviewers, I hope you aren't too mad at me for adding a side couple. I am going to make more of Serenity/Kaiba so don't hate me for it.

Thank you, Dragon2900 and Darkhope, for your review

'Love'

Chapter 10

* * *

Mai couldn't decide if the voice she heard was real or in her mind. She was regaining her strength but why would anyone here say to her 'she would not die'. It didn't make any sense. She thought the people here wanted her to die. 

To prove herself right or wrong she did her best to turn herself around remaining on the ground. The figure standing by her cell was defiantly not in her mind. She couldn't see his face but with what he said she figured out who it was.

Using the wall to help her stand she got up and limped over to light to make sure she was correct. She was right. It was Rick.

"You're right I'm not going to die here, but if you think that that's going to be thanks to you, you're wrong," Mai growled.

"I'm not wrong, Mai, you can't get out of here without my help."

Mai suddenly realized that not one person had asked her for her name since she got there.

"How do you know my name!" Mai questioned, panicked. The last thing she needed was for these crazy people to be psychic.

"We stole your purse remember, we found out about your car, what your name is and how much money you generally carry. We also took the jewelry you were wearing."

"Whatever, I'm not helpless I can figure a way out myself."

"Even if you did you wouldn't be going out in one piece, there are guards everywhere, some that stay all night."

"You have people that stay here all night? That's so stupid!"

"Not for the prisoners."

Rick liked to fight with Mai. He found that it gave them something in common. But he wanted much more to be liked by Mai. He wanted her to feel like he was the hero and not the villain.

"Why would you want to help me out anyway?" Mai asked realizing that that should have been the first thing she asked.

"Because… I don't think you should be my prisoner anymore," Rick said stumbling in his sentence.

"I thought I was Hunter's prisoner, if I had known I was _your_ prisoner I would have killed myself."

"WELL IT'S A DANM GOOD THING YOU ARE MY PRISONER BECAUSE I'M LETTING YOU GO," Rick said suddenly regretting he yelled.

"You're _letting_ me go?" Mai asked quizzically. "So everybody else in this place is letting me go?"

"Fine. I'm sneaking you out, but you should be thankful all the same!"

"I still don't need your help, if you can figure a way out than so can I. So just leave me alone."

_Why would he want to help me anyway? He's… I don't even know! First he some how gets into kidnapping random people now he's trying to sneak me out for no reason! There must be a reason! Does he do this to anyone else? You'd think if he snuck everyone out he liked he'd stop kidnapping._

Finally it dawned on Mai, that was why he couldn't kill her before; she was far too pretty and now he couldn't stand to see her unhappy! This was the funniest thing she'd ever seen! He liked her; he had a thing for her! She could defiantly use this to her advantage. So she decided to play with him a little.

"So how come you've chosen to free me of all your prisoners?" Mai asked with thin eyes.

"I told you, you're my prisoner, and I can only let you go."

"But you're not letting me go you're sneaking me out, so must be the only one who wants me out." Mai put on her cute face. "And if you were someone with authority you could take and put people in and out as you wish, right? Plus if I were your prisoner you could release without sneaking, right?"

She began to lean on the bars of the cell, stick her bottom in the air a little, and look at him as if she was really flirting. 

Rick began to feel panicked. He had too many questions to answer and he started turning red. He liked Mai but wasn't ready for her to want him. Now he really had to her sneak her out or he would let her down.

"Look, I will have to sneak you out because no one will approve of you leaving."

Mai knew that nothing was cuter to men when women played dumb. "So what we're doing is against the rules?" Mai asked looking helpless. "Why are you sneaking _me_ out?" Mai said as she stuck her bad foot out behind her to avoid leaning on it and ruining her streak.

"Because…" Rick looked down and smiled. "I like you and I think your pretty."

This was too good for Mai! This was priceless! He was like a little boy in fourth grade telling his crush that he liked her! She tried to hold in her laughter but in a single moment her lips stretched into a grin and soon she burst into a laughing fit and let herself fall on the floor.

"What!" Rick asked very confused at her reaction.

"Oh My God!" Mai started to catch her breath as she rose from the floor. "Do you have any idea how stupid that sounded!" Mai didn't think she was being too harsh, but she didn't really know what mean was.

"So you weren't just flirting with me?" Rick asked a little disappointed.

"Oh don't flatter yourself I wouldn't flirt with you!" Mai said still very amused.

Rick was very offended he felt like a fool and he was embarrassed. Not only had he been 'played' but also it was by somebody he had feelings for. He was so overwhelmed that he stormed out and out of sight. He was so angry, that he questioned if he liked her anymore. Of course he did but he couldn't deal with that right now.

Mai waited until he left to begin laughing again. She couldn't believe how funny he was! Now that she knew Rick liked her she could use it to get things that she wanted. Sure, she had ruined her changes of being sneaked out, but she was still convinced she could escape herself. Or that someone might come and get her.

Even though it was really stupid Mai decided that she really wanted Joey to come and save her.

_He's a dumb ass but maybe he'll grow and save me._ She thought hopefully

* * *

Tea drove Serenity and Joey home to her apartment. Joey, mad at Serenity because she and Tea made him stop his search and Serenity, mad at Joey because he refused help from Kaiba (even though he refused helping them). 

"Look, both of you need to stop being mad at each other," Tea said upset that their visit turned into a 'family spat'.

"Joey, I'm sorry I made you stop looking," Serenity said feeling like a little kid apologizing to her brother.

"I accept," Joey said. He knew that his sister was waiting for him to say sorry that he didn't let Kaiba help them but he wasn't going to. He didn't want to say sorry because he didn't mean it and he still didn't want Kaiba's help or thought Kaiba would them.

* * *

_I don't need to help them. As long as I don't run into Wheeler's sister again I won' t have to worry about it. Then why is it haunting me so much! Besides it's Wheeler's sister! Why am I so obsessed with her? I'm not one to take a liking to any women! Even if I could help them what would I do? It's not like I could track her duel disk. It's Mai she doesn't wear it on a regular basis! And I doubt she has her deck with her! _

Kaiba was pacing his master bedroom trying to decide what to do with no avail. He hated being 'gotten to' even though he was by Wheeler's sister.

_And even though I want to, I can't succumb to my feelings. What am I talking about! FEELINGS? I've finally cracked. I don't have feelings for Wheeler's sister! Of all people! I have to forget about this forget; forget about helping them or Mai EVERYTHING! _

Okay this chapter was kind of long but I hope you didn't mind. I had to keep going and I didn't want to stop this chapter either a have many more ideas.

* * *

Please review! Tell me if you have a story you want me to read and I will read it! 

'Love'


	11. Chapter 11

I found that my grammar was especially bad last chapter so sorry about that. I'm trying to improve on that so please bear with me. And I emailed everyone who reviewed me and told them that Chapter 10 was up when it wasn't so I'm sorry for that too.

I'll try to make this chapter longer.

'Love'

Chapter 11

* * *

When they got back to Tea's they decided to order out because Tea didn't feel like cooking. 

"No, Joey I'm not letting you order pineapples on the pizza! I hate it and I think you need to learn that fruits and pizzas don't mix!" Serenity knew her brother liked everything on his pizza (as in everything they could possibly put on there) but they were only ordering one pizza and all that he wanted was too much to just pick off.

"Well you have to get something on there! All you ever get is cheese!" Joey protested.

They all decided on just cheese. With two women and one man they over powered him. When it finally came time for them to eat Joey attacked the pizza as if he would lose it if he didn't eat fast enough. Poor Tea and Serenity didn't get much to eat.

When they finished Tea made a giant bowl of ice cream for herself and Serenity secretly searched for Tea's phone book. She thought that since she was the only one who wanted Kaiba to help and the only one who thought he would that she would take things into her own hands. Serenity looked up Kaiba, Seto and once she found the phone number she called it. She made herself comfortable on Tea's bed and waited for him to answer the phone as it rang.

* * *

Kaiba was working on some paper work in his personal office. He hated all the paper work he had to do at home and at work. He ran his fingers through his hair, very frustrated. 

When he heard the phone ring he wanted to break something. And for a while he considered not answering it but it's ringing was killing him so he looked across his desk to see if he knew the number. His caller id read _Unknown Caller_. Even angrier he snatched up the phone.

"WHAT!" He answered, angry at who ever decided to call him.

"Well that is a lovely way to answer the phone, Seto" Serenity told him taken aback by his rude greeting.

"WHO THE HELL IS THIS!" Kaiba asked angrier than before.

"It's Serenity, Joey's sister," Serenity said a little scared that he would be yell at her again.

"I know your Joey's sister! He never stops talking about you!" Kaiba said surprised that Serenity Wheeler was calling him.

_Why is she calling me! She's going to make me crazy! Why can't she just leave alone? I told her I wouldn't help her and it's like she knows she's taking away my sanity! _

"What do you want?" Kaiba asked trying to hide his crazy thoughts. (He still asked rudely mind you).

"Look I'm hungry and I still need you to help me. So I'll take you out to dinner and convince you to help me." Serenity said very casually.

_NO, NO! Tell her no! You aren't going to help her and you don't want to date her! OH MY GOD SHE'S TYRING TO SUDUCE ME!_

"I… you… I'll have to think about it!" Kaiba snapped.

"I don't have time for you to think about it! I'm not trying to ask you out I just need to talk to you!"

"Then talk to me over the phone!"

"But I'm hungry and I like to talk to people in person."

Serenity didn't want to admit it to anyone, let alone Kaiba, but she wanted to see him in his adorable excellence again. It was true, she thought he was cute, very cute. But she couldn't decide if she had feelings for him or not. She defiantly didn't like how he treated her brother but all together she wanted to ask him out and even though she kept telling herself that it wasn't a date she liked to think it was.

"I have a lot of paper work…" Kaiba didn't really sound as if he was using this as an excuse. "I'm not hungry either!"

"How long as it been since you've really talked to someone without using sarcasm or rude commons?" Serenity was going to try and 'break him' with things he couldn't say no to.

"What do you care?"

"I just think I could understand you"

"Do you think I don't have a life, Wheeler?"

"You have a boring life, that's for sure."

Kaiba was a loss for words but he was so angry that he was blowing all kinds of fuses (A.N/ is that the right word? Fuses?).

"Meet me in the park" Serenity said smiling and hung up before he could protest. She took his silence as a good opportunity to take control. She knew that if he were any kind of a gentleman he would show up.

Serenity emerged from Tea's room smiling. She was rather excited to meet Kaiba and talk him into his soft side. She grabbed her purse and high heel shoes and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Tea asked, as she looked up from her half eaten bowl of ice cream.

"I think I'm just going to the park to take a walk."

Joey looked at her shoes and turned his eyebrows up. "And you're wearing those shoes?" he asked confused.

"I'll probably take them off and run through the grass."

"Well I want to come." Joey said getting up from the couch.

"NO!" Serenity snapped. "I mean, I just want to go by myself. It's good for the soul!"

"Okaaaay," Joey said still confused as he sat back down on the couch.

Serenity decided that the best thing was for her to just leave. She put her purse over her shoulder and walked down to the ground floor.

"Have fun," Tea called after her, mostly preoccupied with her ice cream.

Tea and Joey had to wait only about two minutes before Serenity came back up.

"Yeah… Tea, I need the keys…" Serenity said looking at shoes.

"Oh there in my purse, on the table."

Serenity went over to the dinning table and took Tea's car keys from her purse.

"Thank you, and now I will be leaving." Serenity took the keys and walked away without looking at anyone.

Serenity drove to the park and parked on the street right by the sidewalk. When she got out of the car she started walking around the grass. Joey was right, she could have found a better pair of shoes to wear to the park. The pair she had chosen was one of her favorites. They were black open toe shoes, showing off her red toenails. They had a thick ankle band and the heel was around four and a half inches high. They were some of her best shoes and she really didn't know why she wore them.

_These are like shoes I would wear on a date. Remember you aren't on a date; you are on social meeting to talk about helping Mai. Just because I'm not on a date doesn't mean these are the wrong shoes to wear. It's always good to show off, right? _

* * *

Kaiba couldn't believe someone had actually hung up on him. It infuriated him but there was nothing he could do about it. If he didn't show up Serenity would probably call him back and yell at him. 

_I'm not going. Who cares about her? If I don't show up there's nothing she can do about it! _

"Master Kaiba?" Kaiba's maid called to him. His maid was a plump little old lady dressed in a black dress and a white apron Her name was Mary. She quietly walked in the room without him noticing. "You have a meeting in twenty minutes, sir."

_A MEETING? I had one yesterday!_

_FINE! I'll go tothe park. BUT SHE DIDN'T WIN! _Kaiba thought to himself

"Tell them I won't be able to make it," he told her very casually. "I have a previous engagement."

"Very well, sir," she said obediently. "I shall cancel for you." With that she left his room.

* * *

"Why do you think she wanted to go to the park?" Joey asked Tea. 

Tea had now finished her large bowl of ice cream and came back to reality.

"She probably just wanted to look around and see the neighborhood. She loves to walk in parks, too." Tea told him.

"Maybe we should go and see her and hangout with her. It's like eight who knows what creepy guys are hanging around the park." Joey said staring at Tea.

"Well she seemed pretty serious about no one coming with her and no one in the park is going to hurt her, Joey, there are all kinds of families that go there after dinner." Tea said. "Besides you get board really easily and she's just going to be walking through the park, possibly for _more than eight minutes_." Tea said sarcastically.

"Well if she's going to waste that amount of time I better stay here."

"That a' boy! Want some ice cream?"

* * *

_I wonder if he'll come. He sounded like he wasn't going to come on the phone. _

_He'll come. Not everyone's jackass, he'll come. _Serenity paced the grassy side of the sidewalk not really wanting to stray from one place.

"Maybe he already came and he's looking for me," she said hopefully to herself.

_No, that doesn't sound like Kaiba. If he couldn't see me he'd leave before even looking at all! _

Before she thought any more a sleek red sports car turned the corner of the park far too fast. As an unmistakable Seto Kaiba came out of his car Serenity came up to him and began to lecture.

"This is a pubic street! What if a small child ran in front of your car! I'll tell you what would happen! YOU'D KILL THE POOR CHILD AND I WOULD KILL YOU!" Serenity screamed.

Kaiba was a bit astounded, first she hung up on him before he allowed her to and now she was screaming at him just because he was using the horsepower in his car. But he kept his cool.

"Well small children shouldn't be running through the pubic streets at eight o' clock at night and if they are and I happen to hit one it's their own fault," Kaiba responded.

Serenity looked at him as if he had just slapped her. She couldn't believe her ears. She used to think that everyone knew compassion on some level, now she wasn't sure. However she wasn't going to let Kaiba's rude response go unpunished so she slapped him across the face, very hard.

"That's rule number one; don't mess with me," Serenity said very smartly and gingerly and she turned to lead him to the sidewalk.

Kaiba was still trying to recover from the fact that a woman had just struck. He couldn't believe it. He ran after her for an explanation.

"What the hell was that for and why do you mean to tell me 'don't mess with me,'" he nearly screamed at her.

"You are going to help me and I am going to have to help you," Serenity said still looking ahead of her.

"I don't need any help!" Kaiba argued.

"Yes, you do. Just listen to yourself, you sound like a grumpy old man! You're always yelling and apparently you don't understand the value of an innocent child's life. I'm going to help you change that."

"NO! I'm not going to accept help from somebody I never even asked help from!" Kaiba said sternly as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

Serenity walked over to him and got very close to his face (even though she had to stand on her tip toes). She looked at him for a moment with a small grin on her face. After a second or two she slapped him across the face again with the same force.

"That's rule number two; be positive."

* * *

I love Serenity; I think she's adorable. I had to give her more parts to be her tell me what you think of her, please? 

Remember if you tell me a story you would like me to read, please do cus I always got time to kill on the Internet. (It's sad, I know).

'Love'


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry this chapter took so long, I was at camp for a week and I couldn't get back to the story until I unpacked and stuff. You know how that goes. Anyways… there isn't much to say except that I hope you like the chapter and I hope you review me!

'Love'

Chapter12

* * *

They walked for a while longer than comfort. Kaiba was getting tense and nervous of the silence. He wanted to just say forget it and call for a ride home. The thing was he wanted to stay with Serenity and enjoy her company. Even though the last thing he was doing was enjoying himself.

"Are we going to keep walking around aimlessly in silence?" Kaiba asked very annoyed.

"No, Seto, I'm taking you to a restaurant I like. It just so happens they have it here in Tokyo," Serenity said very briskly.

Kaiba was astounded for about the third time this evening. Where on earth did she get the permission to call him by his first name! He stepped in front of her and blocked her path so she was forced to face him.

"Excuse you, but I don't think you have the authority to call me by my first name!" Kaiba snapped at her.

Serenity snorted at him. "I don't have the authority? Who do you think you are?" she asked not at all affected by his comment. She pushed her way passed him to keep walking.

"I _think _I'm the President of a multi-million dollar cooperation, which is a higher power than you have authority to address," Kaiba said very snottily as he stepped in front of her once again.

"I think you have serious ego problems," Serenity said to him as she almost laughed out the last words.

"I beg your pardon."

"Listen to yourself! You must think you rule the world, or at least think you're better than everybody else in the world! Shame on you! You need to learn that the world doesn't revolve around you!" Serenity finished looking at him as he stared blankly back at her. She felt her point was not getting across.

"You better not act like this at dinner," she told him. But before she started walking again she gave yet another forceful slap on the cheek. It felt sad having to hit someone with such soft skin.

"WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND SLAPPING PEOPLE!" Kaiba ordered angrily.

"I don't slap people, just you."

"And another thing what makes you think you can just take me out to eat. I have a life! I don't have to be here and I'm not your boyfriend!"

"This really has to stop. I told you I'm hungry and I wanted to talk to you plus you could use some food. Being anorexic is not the way to go. Mai doesn't even do that. And if you have a life and you don't have to be here, then why are you? And don't worry I don't think of you as my boyfriend, apparently I don't have the authority." Serenity finished her last sentence in sarcasm.

"I am not anorexic, I'm thin there's a difference that you apparently can not tell. I really can't tell you why I decided to come because I really don't know. I want to leave very badly and I don't know why I shouldn't," Kaiba said under his breath clearly holding in extreme anger.

"You aren't going to leave, Mr. Kaiba, I guaranty it. If it takes pushing you to the restaurant, so be it. If it means pulling you there, so be it. If it means telling the Board of Directors at your company that you missed or were late for a meeting tonight because you had a date, so be it," Serenity said to him looking him straight in the eye.

"What makes you think they'll listen to you," Kaiba said forgetting to deny the fact he did indeed have a meeting tonight.

"Because I'm so pretty why else would you skip a meeting," Serenity told him confidently.

Kaiba couldn't argue with her on that. She was pretty and she was probably right about making the other employees believe that he was out on a date with her. He would have hoped they would remember that he had no interest at all of women, he never really told anyone and in the case of the best of the best showed up he would probably take the chance. Kaiba really had no choice but to comply.

"Fine. I'll stay but if I do you also must promise me that no one shall know of this."

"Believe me you and I are in the same boat on that one."

Kaiba and Serenity walked for a while longer in mostly silence the only other things that were said were complaints and occasional mumblings from Kaiba.

When they finally reached the restaurant at the end of the park it was about eight thirty and they a beaten most of the dinner crowds. A hostess who kept looking at them as if they were a couple seated them. Kaiba held his tongue, he knew if he said something like _WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!_ Serenity would mostly likely slap him and publicly scorn him.

"What are you getting?" Serenity asked him very pleasantly after they were seated.

"I am not getting anything. I told you I wasn't hungry and I'm still not hungry."

"That's ridiculous," she said very simply without looking from her menu.

Kaiba didn't even bother to look at his. He knew he wasn't getting anything. Serenity scanned her menu until a waiter came around to take their order and he took Serenity's first.

"I'll have the_ Cannelloni_ and he'll have the _Chicken entrée_," she said very briskly and gave the menus the waiter.

Kaiba was in such a state of shock that he didn't say a word but he was like a shaken bottle ready to explode.

"What is the matter with you?" He said in his very best effort to keep from screaming "I told you I wasn't hungry!"

"And I disagreed. I didn't want to sit here and talk to you while only one of us ate. Besides I can tell when somebody is healthily thin. A health meal will do you nothing but good," Serenity said in a hushed voice.

It was true. Seto had not eaten a healthy full meal for a while. All the work he had to do was too important and he never really looked at not eating for a couple of days that unhealthy. But for some strange reason he really wanted the chicken.

"Your meal will take a while so we better get started."

"On what?"

"On you,"

Kaiba looked at her very confused. "Whatever you think your going to get out of me; just forget about it. I'm not telling you anything you want to know."

"But you don't even know what I'm going to asked you."

"Well then what are you going to asked me?" he asked very annoyed.

"If your satellites can track anything that Mai might be carrying with her to help us find her."

Seto knew that was not that easy at all because Mai would have to be near something or carrying something that had a signal or technological base that could be found by a computer. He thought about the situation for a moment then looked up.

"What would Mai carry on a regular… Wait. No! I told you I'm not helping you!"

"Why though? Why! Really! Because I want to know why you couldn't help me! Did Mai do something to you that you didn't like and now you're taking this out on her? Or did I do something!" Serenity said a little too loudly.

Her comment made Kaiba very nervous. She exploded all over the restaurant and some people from other tables were staring.

"For the Love of God, Wheeler, could you keep you voice down to a regular tone," Kaiba said trying to keep his own voice quiet low.

"Could you very kindly help Mai. It wouldn't get in your way and you have no reason to say no."

"Am I getting paid for this?"

"Why in God's Name would I pay you? Aren't you rich enough!"

Serenity was starting to raise her voice again so Kaiba decided to go her way.

"Fine you don't have to pay me even though this would be out of my way…"

"It would NOT be out of your way!"

"OK just shut up! Would Mai be carrying her cell phone?"

"Seto, don't you think that if she was carrying her cell phone we would CALL IT!"

Seto decided to ignore the fact that she had used his first name out of turn, but he did feel quite stupid for asking a stupid question. He would have yelled too.

"Whatever she would be carrying that I could track would have to be that I would have my own sample of." Seto said very casually as he leaned back in his chair.

Serenity thought for a moment on what Mai would be carrying that Kaiba could have a sample of. "Ooo! I have a stick of lipstick that is the exact same as the kind Mai always carries with her!"

Kaiba looked at her a while before answering with a very dumfounded look on his face.

"Are you stupid? I can't track LIPSTICK!"

Amazingly Serenity didn't take this comment to offence. "Hmmm. That was a stupid thing to say. I just love that God damn lipstick."

Before anyone said anything more, their food arrived on a large brown platter and the waiter served them their plates. Kaiba simply stared at his food. He was not going to be wrong about this. He was going to remain not hungry. Even though his mouth was beginning to water and the chicken's aroma was coming up to his face to meet his nose.

He looked at the chicken and soon he was looking at it as if he were mad at it. _Disappear dammit!_ Kaiba thought to himself.

* * *

Joey was becoming very bored sitting in the apartment with Tea. They had finished their game of 'Go Fish' and now they were drinking wine to see which cheese went the best with Tea's red wine. However they weren't looking the cheese they were sampling. First they would pick up a random piece of cheese then put it in their mouths, then drink a sip of wine immediately after and see what it tastes like.

"OH MY GOD! EWWW!" Tea spit a half chewed piece of cheese and looked at Joey with a disguised look on her face.

"What?"

"Don't EVER eat pepper jack with red wine!"

"Tea, I think we should stop because we've already drunk a bottle of wine together. I don't want to get drunk."

"You're right, Joey, I think I'm goin' take a nap."

"A nap? Why don't you just crash for the night, it's already nine o clock."

"Because… I'm…kinda tired… goodnight!" Tea mumbled.

"Alright, you sleep I'm going to take a walk."

"…yeah…" a tired Tea said as she threw her hand up to show she heard him.

_Maybe I'll run into Serenity and we can walk home. _Joey thought to himself. Before he left Joey noticed that Tea's kitchen trashcan was overflowing. _And I always thought Tea was neat_. Joey decided to take to trash and a flashlight (Joey liked to be prepared) to the alleyway on his way out.

Joey left with the bag and flashlight and walked down the street until he found an alleyway. When he found one he went down it and turned to flashlight on. It was pitch black. There were a lot of bags there already and Joey had a hard time putting the bag some place where it wouldn't fall over and break. Finally he decided his best bet was making room for his own bag. He started kicking the other bags out of his way when his foot kicked something that didn't feel like a brick wall.

His foot got stuck in between what felt like…bars. Joey quickly shined his light on whatever the bars were and took his foot back. It was exactly what he thought it was; metal bars. It appeared to be a jail window.

_I didn't know there was an old jail under one of these apartment buildings. _Joey thought to himself. He became very curious with this so-called jail cell. He decided to shine the light in the window. It was very dark and the light didn't carry far, but from what he could see was it defiantly jail cell.

It had stonewalls and floor and a metal barred wall that looked an awful lot like a jail cell too. He looked around the cell and figured it was just some underground, abandoned jail. Still it was weird. It was freaky.

He looked around more.

Something golden and shiny gleamed in his flashlight's shine. It looked like golden hair. It was defiantly golden hair. And Joey only knew one person with hair like that.

He looked for a body to the golden hair. He could barely see what he thought was a body through the darkness. He knew so well that that had to be Mai. He recognized her every curve and the softness of her skin.

_It can't be her. Why on her would she be asleep in an abandoned jail? No. It's me. I've missed her too long and now I'm seeing things that aren't there. I really wished I knew where she really is._

Joey was heartbroken. The situation was too odd and too lucky. Even though he was hurting, Joey had to discard this hallucination as a mere sight he wished to see but really didn't.

Joey turned his flashlight off. He didn't want to look at this painful memory any longer. He stood up and stumbled out of the dark alleyway without the light. He was deeply troubled by what he thought he saw.

He walked back to Tea's house and went to sleep. He wasn't sure what to do with what he had just done so he slept on it.

Joey decided that he wanted to see more of the weird old cell. Even though it was now going to remind him of Mai every time he thought of it. But what Joey didn't know was that thinking of and seeing that jail cell gave him a comforting feeling that he would find Mai and that was why wanted to go back.

* * *

Sorry it took so long again. I haven't been able to get at my computer lately. Anyway the fifth wasIS MY BIRTHDAY! YAY! It's present day and my birthday is kind of spread out through the weekend so… yeah…

'Love!'


	13. Chapter 13

Hi again. Chapter 12 took such a long time I'm trying to write this fast. Well, but _fast_. So enjoy Chapter 13.

'Love'

Chapter 13

* * *

_When in shock people can do things they never thought possible. Usually when people do such extraordinary things it is that they are trying to protect or save someone or something they love. _

* * *

Mai woke up the next morning very revived. She went to sleep early last night out of sheer boredom. Maybe if it was her first night she would have stayed up and night. Although she was wide-awake, Mai fell asleep bored and woke up bored. The only thing she did to entertain herself was tormenting Rick, but she didn't feel like calling him. She had a dream about Joey last night and Rick was the last person she wanted to talk to.

In her dream Joey had found the place she was in and he kill Hunter. Then he broke into her cell and carried her back to her apartment. Perhaps that was why she slept so peacefully. She considered herself foolish for having such a dream.

As she looked around the room she noticed a small tray of food. Rick. He had never done that before but it didn't surprise Mai. She expected it to be a stale piece of bread and water. To her surprise it was a bowl of soup and a piece of bread that wasn't in the least but stale in fact it was still warm. Mai ate it without question. She figured that Rick had done this.

When she finished the soup and bread she tried standing on her bad ankle. She used the wall to help her until she was standing. When she let her foot down on the ground and then put her weight on it she realized that it had healed well. The pain wasn't entirely gone however it didn't hurt her so much that she couldn't stand on it. She now no longer had to limp.

((A.N: Her shoulder has long since healed sorry I left that out.)) Mai felt her ankle. The swelling had gone down. She began to walk around the cell still very bored.

_I could call for Rick and then have someone to talk to… but then I would have to pretend I'm a nice person and I'm not a nice person. _

But she didn't have to call for anyone. No sooner had she thought this she heard footsteps coming towards her stall. Mai figured they would be Ricks, as it usually was. But as the footsteps got closer they sounder faster and louder than Rick's had ever been.

They were Hunter's. There was no doubt in Mai's mind. She began to shiver though she was not cold. She backed up against the wall. _Maybe he'll pass me. _Mai waited. They were coming closer.

Joey woke up and went to Tea's room. She was sound asleep, curled into a ball underneath all the covers. He was going to wake up to make him breakfast but she looked so peaceful he decided against it. Joey couldn't cook worth a crap, but he figured Tea had cereal or something. Joey went to the kitchen, found some cereal and ate it. However he didn't eat it all. It tasted awful and stale. When he went to throw the remains away he noticed the trash and how it was totally empty from yesterday when he emptied it.

Joey remembered the hallucination he saw in the cell. But when he thought about it now it seemed so real. He wanted to go back away so he got dressed and left the house. As Joey walked he tried to remember what the alley looked like though the darkness. He had forgotten that he went to the first one he saw.

Finally he came to an old apartment building that looked like it hadn't been in use for years. Joey decided to look there first. A run down building for a run down jail in the basement fit the memo.

Mai was sitting in the corner now trying to hide and of course to no avail. The footsteps were closing in on her cell. It was like death itself was coming to fight her for her very life. Not only had Mia pissed him off, he already said that he had the utmost intention to kill her. She didn't know what to expect.

Finally his face came into view it was just as she had remembered it. It was dark and sinister. Mai tried to backup farther, wishing she could sink into the stones of the wall.

"Mai. You just had to go and stab me."

Hunter pulled back his jacket and showed Mai a cut in his shirt and the nastiest cut she had ever seen.

"Since you threw the God damn thing it punctured the skin at a fast speed. It was like you stabbed me twice in the same place." Hunter was making himself mad now.

Now Mai was not trying to be sassy even though that's what she does best, but she couldn't help herself as knowing and loving clothes, "And even though it has a giant rip and it's got blood on it you still wear that shirt."

Unfortunately Mai hit a nerve. Hunter was extremely angered

"Come here. Where I can see you."

"No you've seen me before."

"COME HERE, GOD DAMN YOU!"

Mai obeyed. She rose from her corner and trembling she walked over to the gate. Mai had never seen Hunter's face in the light and what she saw made her wince. It was scarred and ugly. Mai had never seen anything like it.

When Mai finally reached the bars of the cell, she thought death might have been better.

* * *

Joey climbed the old stone steps, careful of the cracks in them. When he reached the door, Joey tried the knob. Locked. It was certainly strange since nobody lived there.

Joey looked around. By the door was a service button, without hesitation Joey rang it and waited. After a while he rang it again.

_Ok, it's going to ring again and then I'm going to break the damn door down. If nobody is there the door should be unlocked. If somebody is there they should answer the damn DOOR!_

Joey was becoming very annoyed by his being ignored. After a few more minutes Joey declared the door about to be broken in to.

First, Joey tried to ram the door with his whole body. Unfortunately, a lot of pain and energy didn't open the door. Joey began to get angry at the door and rammed it with the side of his body, in hopes the door would open before he was totally paralyzed.

The second attempt was also a failure. The door was almost felt bolted shut…twice. Joey sat down by the door, exhausted.

The neighborhood was quieter than usual that day, however had it not Joey would not have heard the strange and eerie sound of a scream. It was so fate Joey questioned if it was real.

The stillness of the surroundings was so thick, that when Hunter unexpectedly grabbed Mai's neck, she was both taken by the surprise of movement and sudden restraint on her neck; she let out a terrified scream.

"I'm going to pay you back ten-fold for how much blood I lost. That golden hair of yours will be stained and torn."

The sound of the muffled scream was lost as it slipped away. Joey began to get nervous about the sound. It worried him for some reason, so he tried to find out where it was coming from.

As he listened he decided that it was coming from the inside of the building. And even though he wasn't totally sure that he was hearing the right thing Joey felt a sudden need to get in the building.

Joey threw himself at the door again, and again. He felt as if his shoulder would burst but still he tried to break down the door. Again he tried and finally the door fell to the dusty floor and a puff of smoke came up around it.

Joey couldn't actually he knocked down the door. Seeing it laying there he was amazed by his own strength.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps coming down a nearby staircase raised his head. A man dressed in gothic apparel.

"Who are you," the man asked wide eyed. "Who let you in?"

"What do you mean who let me in!" What does it look like? I had to RAM YOUR DOOR!

"You shouldn't be here! Just leave!" The man began to advance towards Joey.

"Who screamed? I heard someone scream!" Joey began.

The man was now in Joey's face. "What are you talking about? Are you crazy, nobody screamed! Now get out of here!"

Before Joey could protest the gothic man who looked weak took Joey and threw him out the open doorway.

"And what do you mean you rammed that door down! It was double bolted! Listen I don't know what you heard, but it wasn't a scream. I live here and you didn't hear anything. Get out of here!"

_Maybe I did just imagine that scream; I have been acting strange lately._

Joey sighed. But he didn't feel like giving up. He hallucinated something and now he was hearing things and in the same place? He knew something had to be weird about this place.

Joey turned around and looked at the building. It looked like the apartment that Tea lived in, only it was about ready to fall down and its paint was chipping. The thought of someone living there was just mind blowing. But still Joey was not entirely convinced that he was the one who was out of it.

Joey then remembered the window in the alley. If he was lucky and if he was not mistaken about the scream he would be able to see something. And it was light out so he would be able to see more of the basement…or whatever it was.

He began to creep around the alley that he remembered as the window one. Joey suddenly realized that he was trying to make his presence unknown, trying to be quiet. Fortunately he remained that way. Joey avoiding all the bits of broken glass, all the bags of trash and all the bottles on the ground both glass and plastic until he reached the barred window. Then he heard movement that was not his own.

Joey looked in. The area before him was a stoned floor and wall that was dark despite the time of day. But that was not what Joey was looking at. His eyes were glued to the two figures in the room.

The sight was so shocking Joey couldn't speak he could yell. There before him was Mai and a strange shady figure with his large dirty hand around her neck. Joey didn't know what to be more shocked about; that fact that he had finally found Mai or that somebody was trying to kill her. He tried to yell; he tried rage at that bastard of a man who could somehow stand to crush something so delicate. But he couldn't, his throat had no voice.

* * *

The grip on Mai's throat was tightening. She felt the blood in her face stop circulating. Hunter's nails were beginning to sink in to her skin. It was getting harder to breathe. She couldn't scream any more. At that point Mai decided not to fight it, and she closed her eyes.

* * *

Anger and anxiety was consuming Joey. He wanted to scream, but he felt like he would do nothing. Besides, if he could get inside the building he could pay that bastard back for what he was doing to Mai.

He couldn't watch any longer. He jumped up from his position and ran to the front of the building as if he was running of his life.

When he reached to front door Joey questioned for a moment if the door was locked again. However looking at it answered his question; the door had been leaned against the doorway from which it had been thrown. With out thinking Joey knocked the door down once again from the doorway and burst into the room.

Joey expected to be greeted by the man who greeted him before and intended on passing him by and if needed, punch him right in the nose. Like Joey had expected the gothic man did come and had a confused and intimidated look on his face.

"Why the hell did you come back!"

The man hadn't finished his sentence before Joey pushed his way through him. Joey didn't go far before he felt a burning pain in the back of his head. Suddenly he was floating instead of running.

Despite the haze Joey could make out another figure advancing towards him then another. But Joey only had one thing on his mind. He had to fight through the obstacles; he had to get to Mai.

* * *

Mai and Hunter heard a bang and suddenly Mai could feel her throat regain its strength. She felt air flowing easier through her throat.

Mai heard herself make a high-pitched squeak as she breathed so deeply. It was only when she felt her feet touch the floor had Mai known she was being held up by her throat. She took her chances and crawled as fast as she could to the corner of her cell.

Hunter looked up at the ceiling as if he was trying to see who had tried to get in. Then he turned back to Mai.

"I think I can trust that you'll stay here, so to say the least you will die and I will kill you."

* * *

Joey fought his hardest, as hard as he possibly could. He soon lost count of the hands trying to restrain him and he was beginning to lose his breath.

He felt himself thrown only a few men off of him but for everyone he threw off, two more replaced them. But still Joey fought.

Nothing could have stopped him, but that was only what Joey thought. Out of nowhere he felt another bang of burning pain. Then suddenly he couldn't fight anymore. His arms and legs didn't obey his mind. His eyes fell and his body fell with them.

Although he wouldn't allow himself to let go completely out Joey couldn't fight anymore.

* * *

"_What do you want to do with him?"_

"_Why don't we just throw him in one of the cells? We can always use prisoners." _

"_I wouldn't. I saw him break through the front door by himself."_

_"Fine. Just throw him in an alleyway somewhere. He probably won't remember anything."_

* * *

Sorry it took so long but we're all back in school so you know how that goes. But anyway if you found bad grammar I couldn't proof read it so sorry again.

'Love.'


	14. Chapter 14

I hope you liked Chapter 13 and thank you those of you who reviewed it. I wanted to make that chapter longer but I guess I didn't have enough. So I hope you like Chapter 14 and/or review it.

'Love'

* * *

Chapter 14

Mai stayed in that corner all night, shivering. She was colder than normal. She was so frightened of what had happened just a few minutes before. But those minutes turned into hours and night fell in the cell. Mai was still shivering.

She hadn't doubted what Hunter had said to her before. She knew he would be back.

When Mai was just seconds away from death, when Hunter was choking her, she would have rather died than ever do that again. She still felt the same way. Life didn't feel that precious when it came at such a price.

Mai laid her head down on the cold stones of the cell floor, her golden hair, she let fall on her face. She wished she were in her own bed. She wished this were all a bad dream. But it wasn't it. It was the reality that life was cruel or perhaps that it was just fair. Mai wasn't exactly a saint and maybe this was life's way of paying her back.

Mai was almost asleep when she heard Hunter's footsteps coming down the stone hall. By this time she had memorized the sound of his footsteps to someone else's like Rick's. The heaviness of the steps, the force and weight placed on the heels, and the speed of the strides all gave her the same message.

She lifted her head but she dare not move her body. Like before she wanted to run somewhere, anywhere. And even though she knew by heart the walls she was confined in, she looked around for somewhere to run, somewhere to hide, or at least someplace to find shelter.

Mai rose up, but she did not stand. She curled in a tiny ball letting her hair drape around her like a protective shield. She began to shiver, but she was sweating, was she sick? The footsteps were closer now, slowing down, nearing her cell. In agony she waited for what felt like the coming of her death.

"Look at you, you sorry, worthless bitch. You deserve to die, but I should give it to you that you were the most rebellious person we've ever had, too bad you wouldn't be around to tell about it."

Mai was starting to sweat more now, breathing harder. She was fighting back tears. Any fool could tell that he was planning on killing her right now.

"But once again, you're the lucky one. No, I'm not going to kill you today,"

Mai drew in a deep breath.

"But your friend Rick is most helpful when he wants to be."

Mai heard Hunter flick the cigarette lighter on and light his cigarette.

"He told me that twisted your ankle not long ago, too bad for me I found out after it had mostly healed. Of course I can't live with failure."

Mai looked up from her small little ball, "What?" she said so quietly she was barely heard.

Hunter looked at her with a spiteful and hateful look in his eyes. Without removing his gaze he took out his gun and pointed it at her.

"I would stand up unless you want to just end this right now."

Mai was confused, she didn't know he planned to do, but what perplexed her more was her choice. After everything she had gone through and after all the times she wanted out and over with this horrible nightmare, she still chose to stand and not die so easily. Like she had done some many times before she obeyed him with fear in her eyes and stood.

"Good. Now stand still this wouldn't hurt a bit."

Still confused Mai closed her eyes trying to escape whatever sinister thing he was going to do next.

A gunshot was fired. Something ripped into Mai's ankle and burned the very marrow in her bones. She heard herself scream in terror-struck and painful scream. Her bad ankle was now gushing blood and spilling on to the stone floor.

"You had better hurry up and stop that bleeding, we wouldn't want to lose you."

* * *

Joey awoke in an alley unknown to him. It was so dark he could barely see his own hand and foot. It didn't take long for him to notice the piercing headache throbbing at his head.

Joey clenched his temples and groaned.

_What time is it?_

_Forget that, why am I here? How am I supposed to get back to… to…Tea's apartment? Oh my God for a second a thought I was losing my mind. Am I losing my memory?_

_NO! I can remember._

Joey got up from the ground and looked at his surroundings. Though it was pitch black he could make out the makings of an alleyway. He stumbled into the street to find light. The street lights gave plenty of light once he came to one.

Once Joey was out in fresh air and lit streets he looked himself over and was a bit alarmed to find dried blood on his knuckles.

_What the hell was I doing? Who was I punching? I can remember being restrained, and…and…trying to fight off someone. _

It suddenly hit Joey like brick. He remembered it all. He was trying desperately to get to Mai she was going to die, he saw from the window in the alley. Was she already dead? Did she survive? He didn't know. He began to sweat.

Joey shook his head trying to fight off the headache. He began to walk in no particular direction. With his eyes closed he didn't notice he was walking in street. Cars in other lanes honked and honked at him. Finally he looked up and noticed he was walking in the middle of a busy street. Joey turned around and ran off the street to the sidewalk.

When Joey looked up he noticed he was standing in front of another alleyway. This wouldn't have meant anything to him except the fact that something was drawing him in. Because of the pain in his head and shock of almost being hit by a car Joey decided there wouldn't be any harm in trusting his instinct and obeying it.

This alley wasn't as dark as the one he woke up in. There was a streetlight closer to it that provided enough light to see. Once he entered the alley he found it was darker than it had appeared.

Coming back to his senses he wondered why he had stumbled in to this place to begin with. Turning around to leave he brushed up against the brick wall. Suddenly he stubbed his toe on something cylinder shaped. Then his memory returned and told him exactly what it was he hit, the same bar on which he had felt before the one in which he saw Mai being choked by that bastard.

Joey couldn't see a thing, unlike before when he had a weak flashlight to shine in. Of course Joey didn't know but something told him that Mai was in there, she had to be, he could feel it.

He couldn't think of anything to do he had to wait until it was bright enough to see inside. Joey kicked aside the trash piled up, to make a place to sit down. His stomach was in his throat; he knew Mai was in there, waiting to be taken away.

It hadn't accrued to Joey to call out to her or that she was loosing ounces of blood by the second. Joey had a concussion and all he could do was simply closed his eyes and he drift off to sleep.

* * *

But Mai was loosing blood, a lot of it. She pulled her dress down to try and stop the bleeding; she was past trying to save her dress at this point.

Tears began to stream down her soft cheeks, she knew even without professional help she could very well still live but it was the shock. That gun could have killed her. She could have died. And now what felt like a taste of death was taking its toll on her.

Hunter smirked at her and began to walk away quite pleased with himself. He'd won the match.

The blood began to soak through the once beautiful dress, staining it, now Mai weeping for the dress. Everything had gone wrong. The only thing left was her death. Which she knew would not be from the shot in her ankle, but escaping it seemed inevitable.

Soon the blood began leaking through her dress and on to the stone floor.

_Please stop bleeding God damn it! _Mai's tears began stronger and soon she was sobbing.

_A strong woman doesn't cry like this. _But she was no longer such a strong woman; she was a broken woman and knowing that made her cry even more.

Suddenly she heard running down the stone hall. She knew well that it was not Hunter, for he never ran and the footsteps were too light; therefore she wasn't alarmed.

The running didn't stop at another cell before hers they continued until Mai began to have hope again that Joey would come and take her away from this place. However her hope was crushed when Mai saw Rick stop in front of her cell.

"What are you doing here?" Mai asked malignantly, still in tears.

Rick didn't answer. Without saying a word he opened the cell door with a key he seemed to pull out of his shirt. When Mai saw him near her she wanted to somehow scoot away; she didn't want him to touch her.

"What do want?"

Rick looked at her and Mai saw his face. He was sad for her. He looked down at her as if he was going to cry, then he came down to her level.

Mai hated it when people felt sorry for her even now, but it surprised her when her throat began to throb and she wanted to cry more. Mai turned her head away so Rick's face wouldn't upset her.

"I can't stand to see you like this; you aren't yourself." Rick said to her, ever comfortingly.

"Then leave me! Leave me to die here!"

"I can't let you die. I won't let you die."

She didn't like this; she didn't like it when anyone did this to her. But she could feel the tears coming back to take her.

"Then let me out; let me go. I hate it here! I'm going to die here!

"I can't let you out." Rick said very regretfully

"Yes you can you have the key!"

"You and I would both be killed trying to run out of the building, for my life I am not afraid, but for you life, I wouldn't forgive myself for loosing."

Mai looked at him, not wanting to say that what he said was beautiful or sweet, he didn't like him and she never would, that she knew, but she looked at him saying with her eyes he was sweet and caring person.

Without saying more Rick took a roll of bandages out of his pocket and began to pry Mai's fingers off of her ankle.

Mai infuriated, but didn't say a word. Rick wanted to help, he only wanted to help, and so she let him.

She watched him carefully put the bandages around her without saying a word. When he had finished he stood looked down at her the same way he had when he walked in, and began to turn and walk out the door before Mai stopped him

"Why? Why would you do that for me?"

"I couldn't stand to see you so miserable."

"But you didn't see me when I had gotten shot before."

"I could hear the gun shot, Mai, I knew you were in trouble, so I came to help you and what I saw was worse than I thought and I had to help you. I couldn't stand to see you like that."

Mai looked at him searching for what to say.

"I hope you know this doesn't change the way a feel about you!" She finally said quite proud she had justified herself.

"That's a shame," Rick said over his shoulder "I hoped we could have been friends after this."

With that Rick left the cell. Mai didn't stop him this time she was too stumped on what he said.

Rick was deserving of her trust and respect, and Mai hated that. But soon she would have to get over herself and thank him for what he did.

She did feel better knowing he cared.

* * *

OMG! I am soooooo sorry for the wait. School is a bitch! (Excuse my language). I know some of you if not a lot of you if not all you are mad at me for taking so long to write Chapter 14 then giving you this weeny little chapter. So if you angry which I assume someone must be, hate me in the review but say something constructive so I don't kill myself.

'Love'


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